The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-08-11
ANOTHER FLAG TROUBLE.
AMERICANS CANNOT YET PERMIT
THE BRITISH ENSIGN TO FLOAT.
An Aged Patriot Demands that it BE
Hauled Down Immediately or Blood
Will be Shed.

An Aged Patriot Demands that it Be
Hauled Down Immediately or Blood
Will be Shed.
Editorial Correspondence
HENDERSONvILLE, N. c., Aug 3, 1887
The American mind has not quite become
composed over the sensation created by
the proposed return of the Confederate
flags and the bloody shirt yell from Fora
ker and Tuttle and the other blatant Yam
kee howlers. 1t was not the first military
agitation North Carolinians had expert
| enced in recent years. remember the
indignation that filled the breast of the
late gallant Randolph A. Shotwell when
| an order was made to change the uniform
of the State Guard. The State had hardly
recovered from that passage of words
| when the Confederate flag return talk
/ threw US again into excitement. | had
just been able to gather myself together
and pray for few days of blessed peace.
To get it | had thrown off the editorial
harness and tried to hide myself in the
fastnesses of the mountains. Five miles
| from HenderSonville, on the banks of the
French Broad, I stood and was feeling as
/
tant Foraker or Il bloody shirt Fairchild.
\ sense of sweet contentment stole over
me- | dreamed as sweetly as if no Gen.
Drum or flag incident had ever existed. |
thought that at last had escaped the
trappings of glory, and the paraphernalia
of the war, the symbols of patriotism, and
Not IA wave of trouble rolled across my
.frt1
But alas for sweet dram of peace. They
are doomed to be broken in their most
ravIshing sweetness!
My companion inquired, ''Have you
heard about the flag incldent:"
Great Scott | replied. Il have heard
about nothing else, and | left Raleigh to
get away from the newspapers so could
neither hear, read. or see, or dream any
thing else concerning it. Don't tell me
anything about it.
But continued my friend 4 refer to
the Henderson county flag incident-not
the Cleveland Drum trouble. 1t is an
amusing and interesting story Do you
want to hear it:'
Fire away" l said in a spirit of resig-
nation and Willingness TO be inflicted, and
saying to myself though l take to myself
the wings of the morning and fy to the
uttermost parts of the earth there is
battle flag talk and flag incident.
My friend pointed TO a beautiful little
church nesting in the valley and to the
houses and farms surrounding it, and
spoke in substance as follows:
That is an English settlement of about
fifty That church was built by them and
they have a rector who officiates in it reg
ularly. They have not been here a great
while and they have not been naturallzed.
They are quiet and industrious citizens.
While all England and the British posses
sions throughout the world We're celebrat-
ing the Queens jubilee these Euglishmen,
far away from their native isle, arranged
to celebrate it with as much pomp as the
circumstances would admit They made
a programme covering two days and an
nounced holiday season in their colony.
The day came and the sports began. There
were games, trials Of strength and speed,
speeches, music, glorifcation Of old Eng
was buried in the ground and the flag of
Great Britain unfurled to the breezes.
The mountain breezes held it high in the
air and it rusted and sported in the pass
ing winds as if it had a right to be there.
Near by live Americans-'n native here and
to the manner born" Their grand parents
fought in the Revolutionary war and hated
that flag with an intense and bitter hatred
Their inherited hatred of the English flag
and their love for the American flag have
grown with their growth. They looked
out upon this waving H English flag and
their hearts burned within them. They
went further than General DIX. If
any man dared 20 tear down the American
flag his famous words We're, ''shoot him
on the spot" To his phrase they added,
eff any man dare raise foreign flag upon
American soil, it must come down" These
liberty loving mOuntaners, who counted
not their life dear unto themselves, held a
conference Few and short were the words
they said The sentiment Of every man
was that the English flag must come down.
An old man, with the SHOWS of seventy
winters on his head, was made the spokes-
man They visited the Englishmen-to told
them that if they desired to celebrate the
Jubilee they could do it and welcome, but
that no English flag could wave over the
free soil of America.
The English colony was thrown into a
state of excitement and indignation. They
meant no disrespect or insult to America.
. They would take down the flag after the
Jubilee was over
''Take it down day." was the reply OF
the gray haired patriot. He would hear
to nothing else. That was Americas de
mand. Nothing else would satisfy Their
Great Country.
The Englishmen refused to obey the
mandate. They rebeled. A Revolution
seemed imminent Another struggle be
7 tween America and England seemed to be
approaching, with this difference: In the
last struggle Americans composed the
colony; in this Englishmen were the
colonists. -..FE
No amicable adjustment could be reach
n Al, ho1. .ol arsa until